Major Lalson Varghese

Major Lalson Varghese hailed from Secunderabad in Telangana and was born on 13 Mar 1974. Son of an army veteran Thomas Varghese and Smt Aleyamma, Maj Varghese was the youngest of three brothers, and had Reverend Valson Varghese and Sabu Varghese as his siblings. Maj Varghese did his schooling from Rashtriya Military School Ajmer and it was here that the foundation of his future Army career was laid. His inclination to join the armed forces grew with his age and he started preparing himself for that. Following his passion, he eventually got selected for the National Defence Academy Khadakwasla and passed out in 1995. He then moved to the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun for further training and passed out in June 1996 as a Lieutenant at the age of 22 years. He was commissioned into the 42 Armoured Regiment of the Armoured Corps, a Corps well known for its powerful tanks and other heavy weaponry.

He soon gained expertise in tank operations and developed into a committed officer. Besides being an outstanding officer, he was a keen sportsman and won many laurels in various sports meets. He had great interest in arts too and loved painting.  After serving for a few years with his unit, Maj Varghese was later deputed to serve with the 14 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in J & K. He was on deputation to the 14th Rashtriya Rifles at the time of the Kargil war in 1999.  Subsequently he got married to Ms Nisha in September 2002.

Operation Parakram :  24 Apr 2003

During the year 2003. Maj Varghese was serving with 14 RR battalion, deployed in J&K for counter-insurgency operations. As the area of his unit’s operation was very volatile and prone to infiltration by militants, the unit had to maintain a strict vigil at all times and deployed armed patrols with regular frequency. The landmines along the patrol routes also posed a serious danger to the troops and the specialist teams were often called upon to sanitize the routes. On 24 Apr 2003, information was received from intelligence sources about the presence of terrorists at Sumblar village in the Bandipora region of the Kashmir valley.  After analyzing the specific inputs it was decided by the security forces to launch a joint operation of J&K police and the army’s 14 RR unit to nab the terrorists. The joint team swung into action and the operation started in the evening of 24 Apr 2003. As per the intelligence inputs, the militants were holed up in a residential building and the joint team threw a cordon around the suspected area.

As Maj Varghese and his troops reached the suspected area, the terrorists opened fire at them from their hideout.  Maj Varghese leading the operation, tactically moved his troops to close all escape routes for the militants. The militants in sheer desperation resorted to indiscriminate and heavy firing against the troops. In the ensuing gunfight, Maj Varghese received a gunshot and got wounded. Undeterred Maj Varghese continued to engage the terrorists without caring for his injuries. However Major Lalson Vargese soon succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Maj Lalson Varghese was a gallant soldier and a gritty officer, who laid down his life in the service of the nation following the highest traditions of the Indian Army. 

Maj Lalson Varghese is survived by his father an Army veteran Thomas Varghese, mother Smt Aleyamma, wife Smt Nisha Verghese and brothers Shri Reverend Valson Varghese & Shri Sabu Varghese.